The plastics packaging industry in Germany has started the new year with greater optimism than in 2013, according to the IK trade association’s Economic Trend survey for the first quarter of 2014.
According to the IK survey, 41% of companies responding said they have expectations of improved turnover in 2014 – nearly double the equivalent figure for the same stage last year.
“This positive assessment will however be affected by ever rising costs,” IK cautions.
“Raw material became very expensive in December 2013, something which had not been usual until then.”
In addition, further price increases have already been announced by the raw material producers, IK adds.
With more than 300 members, the German IK Association of Plastic Packaging, IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V., is the largest trade association within the plastics packaging industry in Europe, representing the lion’s share of the German plastics packaging market.
In the face of rising energy costs in Germany, the subject of energy efficiency was also said to be “important” by 99% of the IK members surveyed.
Of those responding, 63% of the companies already work with an energy management system, and of the remaining firms 83% plan to introduce such a system in the foreseeable future, IK reports.
“This exemplary commitment by the plastic packaging sector in the field of energy efficiency is not in the slightest near enough to offset the exorbitant costs of energy in Germany,” the trade association states.
